Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

Avril Haines hints at bipartisan national security policy

Avril Haines hints at bipartisan national security policy

It is time to operate in the world of facts.
Avril Haines, President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee for director of national intelligence, may be among his least controversial picks. Introduced by Dan Coats, President Trump’s former DNI, at her confirmation hearings on Tuesday, Haines received praise from both Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.), who noted her deep experience and academic prowess in national security.

As the hearing began, one could sense a return to some level of normalcy in the operations of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Facts, it turns out, can be unifying. Both Warner and Rubio, who serve as vice chair and acting chair respectively, acknowledged that the bipartisan consensus on China — economic liberalization would bring political liberalization — was wrong. Both expressed hope for nonpolitical intelligence analysis.

Haines, in her opening remarks and in her responses to initial questions, said nothing that should or did raise concerns from either side. In the post-Trump world, neither side is going to quibble with her observations that “to be effective, the DNI must never shy away from speaking truth to power — even, especially, when doing so may be inconvenient or difficult. To safeguard the integrity of our Intelligence Community, the DNI must insist that, when it comes to intelligence, there is simply no place for politics — ever.”

Likewise, her tough description of our challenges with China seemed to be in sync with the committee’s views. She promised to “provide the necessary intelligence to support long-term bipartisan efforts to out-compete China — gaining and sharing insight into China’s intentions and capabilities, while also supporting more immediate efforts to counter Beijing’s unfair, illegal, aggressive and coercive actions, as well as its human rights violations, whenever we can.” Asked whether she viewed China as an “adversary,” she explained that Biden overall saw China as a “global competitor,” but in areas such as espionage and trade, it was certainly an “adversary.”

Warner, while acknowledging that white supremacy is not in the intelligence community’s direct purview, asked how she saw her role in combating domestic terrorists. She said the intelligence community will have “an important role” in uncovering connections to any foreign groups.

She also promised to provide the committee with an assessment of QAnon, which the current administration did not, and called waterboarding torture, and hence illegal.

As for Iran, Haines told Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) that while Biden did want to reenter the Iran nuclear deal “if Iran came back into compliance,” she said we are a “long ways from that” happening. She also cautioned that in moving back into the nuclear deal, we would need to look at Iran’s missile development and “other destabilizing” actions. The assumption by Republicans that Biden was simply going to capitulate to Iran for the sake of restarting the deal appears to have been off-base.

The level of tone of the questions, the demeanor of the questioners and the tenor of answers Haines provided were best described as subdued. And that perhaps is the best one can hope for in the realm of intelligence. A devotion to facts, a recognition of who our enemies actually are and a professional dedication to unbiased analysis — all missing in the four years of the current, chaotic administration — are now back in fashion. That is the best news one could hope for coming out of this hearing.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
×